Furuya Satoru
Furuya Satoru comes from Tomakomai, HokkaidoAct II Chapter 3 and is a second year student of Seidou High School. He is the current ace of the Seidou Baseball Club and Sawamura Eijun's rival and classmate. He is also roommates with Ono Hiroshi and formerly Saitou. Appearance Furuya is a slim and tall teenage boy. He has medium-length black hair and grey eyes. Furuya is almost always seen with a sleepy look on his face. Character Furuya has a stoic, introverted personality and is weak at communication. He has an expressionless face that makes it difficult for his teammates to understand his feelings. However, when provoked, he often exudes a fiery 'aura' as a visual representation of his passion. In middle school he was socially isolated for being much stronger than his teammates, who in turn refused to play with him. As a result, he is unaccustomed to interacting with others and has little tact when speaking. Over the course of the series, Furuya comes to love the Seidou team, as it is the first time that he has ever been accepted by his teammates. He is very obedient to his seniors and dutifully carries out errands for them. Although these are often menial tasks, Furuya appears to take great joy from the simple fact that they are acknowledging him. However, he gets bored easily, disliking it when he cannot play in a match, and will often fall asleep when he isn't playing, or when he wants to ignore someone. Furuya loves to pitch and often seeks to play for more innings even when ordered to switch out. Having a strong competitive spirit, he, like Sawamura, desires to be the team's ace. However, despite his strength, Furuya is naturally humble, acknowledging Sawamura's ability long before most other members of the team.Act I Chapter 8Act I Chapter 36 Furuya takes a lot of pride in receiving the No.1 jersey after Summer Koshien. As a consequence, his desire to become a part of the team only becomes further entrenched as shown by his thought of wanting to be more essential to the team.Act I Chapter 369 Despite his shortcomings as the ace, Furuya's strong will comes through in later games, such as when he is toughing out an injury. At one point, he even pulls through to get a runner out despite being hit by a line drive while injured. This incident prompts both Miyuki and Yuuki to acknowledge that he is becoming a good ace.Act I Chapter 339Act I Chapter 364 Although he appears to be somewhat of an airhead as evidenced by his poor academic performance, Furuya has on occasion proved to be quite perceptive. He is the first person to suspect that Miyuki is injured, noticing that something is off almost immediately after Miyuki himself realizes it.Act I Chapter 349 History Furuya often watched his neighbors play baseball without ever joining in. This later changed when Furuya's grandfather, an ex-baseball player himself, coaxed him to try joining. As he grew in both ability and strength, however, Furuya was soon ostracized by his teammates due to his overwhelming strength. As a consequence, they referred to him derogatorily as a 'monster' and refused to play with him, leading Furuya to train by himself by pitching into a wall. Though he still loved pitching, he was unhappy with baseball itself. After he heard about a miraculous catcher at Seidou High School, he applied and was accepted to the school through normal testing. Act I Furuya sees Sawamura playing by himself and offers to play catch with him. Furuya soon realizes that there is something wrong with Sawamura's pitches and asks him to throw properly, because his pitches are 'disgusting'. He then asks if he could throw a little harder and manages to blow Sawamura's glove away. Seeing the dumbfounded face of Sawamura Furuya reveals that he only came to Seidou because of Miyuki. He hopes that Miyuki is able to catch his pitches, because nobody could do that in Junior High. This is the moment were their battle for the status of the ace begins. Soon after a match between the first years and their upperclassmen takes place and Furuya proclaims that he won’t let anyone hit his pitches the day before the exhibition. With just one pitch, which hits coach Kataoka directly in the face, Furuya is quickly promoted to the first string while the other first years are struggling. Act I Chapter 12 He then asks permission to leave to practice by himself. Miyuki asks if this is okay and Furuya answers that the game is already over because baseball isn't so simple that one person can change the game. He then witnesses from afar how Sawamura is able to change the mood of the team, units them and brings back their fighting spirit. After the exhibition Furuya teams up with Miyuki during practice and they form a battery at the Kantō Tournament, where Furuya gets to show his awe inducing fastballs. In Seidou's match against Teito High, he tells Furuya to return to the dugout after Furuya's finger bleeds due to the strength of his own pitches. He then isn't allowed to pitch for two whole weeks. Training camp During the practice match against Osaka Kiryu High Furuya gives up 11 runs in four innings. Furuya asks for a time-out and Miyuki quickly goes to him, thinking that Furuya has reached his limit.Act I Chapter 46 Furuya, however, asks Miyuki for advice on how to not give up runs and admits that he's not pitching well, but doesn't want to leave the mound pitching poorly. Miyuki advises Furuya to start pitching while having faith in his teammates and Isashiki tells him to stop playing baseball on his own.Act I Chapter 47 Later Furuya accidentally throws a split-finger fastball that drops right at the batter's box. This surprises Miyuki who fails to catch the pitch. Furuya then strikes out the next batter. Seeing his teammates cheering for him makes Furuya feel happy and he manages to hit a homerun during Seidou's offense. He gets replaced by Sawamura in the sixth inning and goes to the left field. West Tokyo Tournament Preliminaries Furuya is the starting picher when Seidou faces off against Maimon West High. He plays for three innings and helds his ground formidably. Back at Seidou Takigawa Chris YuuChris and Rei observe practice and the latter says that they'll need Furuya to win the Summer, calling him the "ace" until Tanba's return. On the third round of the tournament, Seidou faces Murata East and Furuya gets the start again. He's even more pumped after what Rei had told him and together with Kawakami they win the second round. During their next match against Akikawa the opposing batters try to tire Furuya with bunts. Sawamura tells Furuya not to get flung around by the batters bunting stance. Furuya then strikes out the batters with sheer force and is tiring himself out even more. Sawamura is about to replace him but Furuya doesn't budge. Miyuki tells Furuya that if he continues pitching, he'll only drag the team down. Sawamura says to leave the rest to him and Furuya silently hands the ball over, but the team understands his feelings. Quarterfinals Again Furuya is Seidous starting pitcher and faces some difficulties from the get go because Yakushi's batters aim to only hit his fastballs. Seidou's infielder gather on the mound and Miyuki tells Furuya that he'll be centering plays on the splitter but his fastball will still be his best weapon. In the second inning Furuya holds Yakushi to zero runs and is up to bat first. Wanting to make up for his pitching, he hits a home run. Kataoka lets Furuya and Miyuki know that the switch will be done sooner. However, it will be done after Furuya squares off against Yakushi's eighth and ninth batters; then Furuya will be sent to the left field in place of Sakai. Sakai offers Furuya his outfielder's glove. On top of the third, Sawamura replaces Furuya after the latter strikes out the eighth and ninth batters. Semifinals Seidou faces Sensen Academy and the starting pitcher is Tanba. Furuya doesn't get a chance to play in the semifinals, but he manages to pump up Sawamura by going to the bullpen. Finals The starting pitcher is Furuya, who thanks his teammates in advance should his pitches get hit while he bows his head, surprising everyone. Furuya explains that because they're behind him he can pitch with ease. Inashiro's batters find it difficult to time Furuya's fastballs and try to make Furuya pitch as many as they can. His pitch count is 56 after three innings. At the dugout, Sawamura offers Furuya a drink and tells him "Nice Pitch", to Furuya and Miyuki's surprise. His teammates think that Furuya is looking reliable. When Furuya's pitch count reaches 68, Kataoka switches Furuya with Tanba at the bottom of the fifth and Furuya is sent to left field. With the switch, Narumiya declares a win over Furuya. Sakai and Kadota wish Furuya good luck. Furuya does a good job defending and scores a run during their offense but Seidou still loses. At the line-up, while his teammates shed tears, Furuya is one among four (Yūki, Sawamura and Miyuki) who don't.Act I Chapter 191Anime S1 Episode 63 Aftermath Shortly after their loss against Inashiro Furuya tells Sawamura that he'll be the "Ace" of the team. During their scrimmage with Saitama Sakai Furuya pitches at full power and explains to Miyuki that he does it on purpose to improve his stamina. After 7 innings however, Furuya tires and Sawamura takes on the mound. For the scrimmage against Yakushi Furuya asks Kataoka's permission to pitch for the entire game, which Kataoka declines but is willing to give Furuya more innings depending on his performance. Furuya performs at his best and Kataoka tells him that he's got high expectations from him then sends him to the left field. After Sawamura's breakdown Furuya gets to pitch again. He goes to the mound and asks for the ball, saying that there's no need for two pitchers on the mound. Sawamura apologizes for passing on the baton in a pinch. In Seidou's first official match for the fall, Furuya wears the ace number and shines in both pitching and batting. In the third round of the group selection, Seidou faces Seisho High. Furuya gives away a free run with balls and Furuya himself is confused why since he feels good. Seidou gather on the mound and Miyuki asks if Furuya is trying to play baseball by himself then reminds him to look around. The game resumes but Furuya continues to give free runs. Kataoka calls for Kawakami and sends Furuya to the left field. During the scrimmage against the third years Furuya finds out about Kataoka's resignation. Furuya thinks that he is yet to be acknowledged by the coach. Miyuki then instructs Furuya to go all out not worrying about pacing, surprising the pitcher. Miyuki explains that it's hard to out the third years, thus they'll take them down with force. Furuya follows the plan, successfully striking out the batters. Fall Tournament First Round Furuya is Seidou's starting pitcher and shuts the batters out with pure force. The rain becomes heavier and Furuya faces some difficulties. The game is put on hold temporarily at the bottom of the fifth due to heavy rain. Miyuki notices that Furuya is sleeping and lets him know that he's relaxing too much while he wished that the game hadn't been suspended at that point when Furuya has drive. On top of the sixth, Furuya again faces difficulties and while Miyuki thinks of what he can do to fix it, Sawamura is sent to replace Furuya. Second Round During their match against Nanamori Academy Furuya is playing left field and rather displeased. Sawamura pitches the whole game, thus Furuya doesn't get a chance to stand on the mound. Third Round Before the game Miyuki discusses a strategy with Furuya on how to deal with Umemiya. While Miyuki sticks to the plan, Furuya however, recalls that Umemiya had told him not to run away and disobeys Miyuki's lead resulting in giving Ugumori an early lead of 3 runs. Miyuki scolds him, saying that he should get off the mound if he is unable to follow his lead and that the weight of the ace number on his back is heavier than he thinks. As a result Furuya gets his head back in the game finishing the inning strong. Everyone is impressed with Furuya's tenacity. Kataoka sends a messenger to the mound during the eighth inning let's Furuya know that he entrusts the inning to him. Furuya throws a pitch faster than the batters swing for the strike out, and his teammates are delighted with his competitive spirit. Sawamura steps on the mound in the ninth inning, replacing Furuya. Later that day, Furuya's teammates notice that he has hurt his right foot during the game. A checkup reveals that Furuya's sprain is a first degree tear on the lateral collateral ligamentThe lateral collateral ligament is a thin band of tissue running along the outside of the knee. It connects the thigh bone to the calf bone, which is the small bone of the lower leg that turns down the side of the knee and connects to the ankle., and will need to rest for one to two weeks. Quarterfinals Kataoka announceds that he doesn't plan on using Furuya during this game to focus on healing his injury, thus Sawamura is the starting pitcher. Furuya is frustrated about not being able to pitch, while Sawamura pitches the whole game. A few days before the semi-finals Furuya asks Ochiai to teach him a breaking ball. The next day Furuya throws a vertical slider during pitching practice, surprising Miyuki and everyone else. Sawamura and Furuya later exchange information about their newly learned breaking balls and Furuya admits to Sawamura that he was frustrated when all he could do is watch Seidou's match against Ouya. He hadn't realized Sawamura to be catching up so fast but is glad that he came to Seidou. Sawamura irately says he doesn't feel exactly the same, surprising his rival. Semifinals Furuya is Seidou's starting pitcher. After a batter successfully gets on base, the rest of them swing forcefully and fiercely at everything in the strike zone and not focusing on one a specific pitch, affecting Furuya's pitching. Furuya also feels pressure from the fourth batter's swing but after Miyuki called for the time out, Furuya calms down. At the top of the fifth, Ogawa hits a solo home run but Furuya stays focused and Miyuki compliments Furuya for his performance. Furuya then stops a hit to center with his body and manages to out him on first. At the top of the eighth, Sawamura is sent to the mound. After Ogawa collided with Miyuki, Furuya suspects that Miyuki is injured, because of his irregular panting and excess sweating. Act I Chapter 349 He suggests Miyuki to accompany him to the hospital after the match, which Miyuki refused and said there was no reason. Furuya didn't express his concerns to anyone afterwards. Finals At the bottom of the ninth, Sawamura who performed well, asks Kataoka to let him pitch. The day before the doctor informed Kataoka that Furuya can only play an inning at most and Kataoka decides to give this last inning to the ace. The crowd cheers and so does Sawamura who impress both Miyuki and Furuya with his attitude. Furuya cleanly closes out the match before Raichi gets to bat, ending the match with Seidou's win. Act II Spring Koshien TBA Relationship with other Characters Miyuki Kazuya Miyuki is the reason why Furuya came to Seidou in the first place. After seeing a magazine article about Miyuki's prowess as a catcher, he purposefully tested into Seidou in the hopes that Miyuki would be able to catch his pitches. Since Miyuki turned out to be able to catch Furuya's pitch at full power, Furuya has a particular respect for him. It appears that Furuya tends to ignore Miyuki especially when the latter comments on his lack of stamina, but in reality Furuya does listen to Miyuki's criticisms and works on what he lacks. Sawamura Eijun They are friendly rivals and have the habit of checking and openly commenting on each others' faults. They recognize each other's ability, even if they are loathe to admit it, and although their rivalry is a healthy one, both are known to display signs of envy and resentment when the other is on the mound. As the story progresses, they become friendlier with each other and exchange advice on how to throw breaking balls. Furuya also positively acknowledge Sawamura as real rival, saying he was glad he came to Seidou and smiling when Sawamura openly challenges him for the ace title.Act I Chapter 328 Ochiai Hiromitsu It doesn't take long to realize that Ochiai sees great potential in Furuya. He would prefer letting Furuya pitch a whole game, so that he can gain more game experience. He also suggests they sacrifice the team solely for Furuya and his growth. Later on, when Furuya asks to be taught breaking balls, Ochiai says that if Furuya could learn some and combine them with his fastball, he could become the number one pitcher in Japan.Act I Chapter 317 He then teaches Furuya the vertical slider. Skills Despite being rather thin, Furuya is a hard slugger who can easily hit a homerun under the right conditions and is one of the best at distance hitter even at Seido.Official Guide Book - Omote There are many times when, even if he hands the mound over to other pitchers, he is moved to left outfield to make use of his batting power. Furuya can easily catch fly balls and throw them back to home plate thanks to his strong throwing arm. When not pitching, he often plays left field. Thus he is fairly well-rounded as a player and his pitching skills have made him a living legend within high school baseball, complimentarily dubbed as the "Monster Rookie". Pitching Furuya's specializes in throwing heavy fastballs and throws the fastest pitch in the series thus far at 154 km/h. He puts all of his weight on his fingertips while he throws, resulting in sharp throws. However, due to the fact that his throwing method places an inordinate amount of stress on his fingertips, his nails will crack if he does not practice proper nail care. He is capable of varying the strength of his pitches, and his control has continued to improve slowly. His hunger to keep pitching, however, keeps him highly ambitious and combined with his lack of stamina often makes it necessary to switch him out early, or act as a closer, as in the finals of the Fall Tournament. Splitter Furuya learned the Splitter early in the series when Miyuki taught Furuya the grip for the pitch. The Splitter is a type of fastball that looks like a Straight and breaks down half way to the plate capable of effectively induces swing and miss and is often used by many as an off-pace pitch to increase the effectiveness of the straight fastball. Slider Furuya was also taught the Slider by Ochiai during the Fall Tournament. Furuya throws his Slider similarly to a how one throws a football. Furuya's Slider is fast and has a big sweeping Vertical and Horizontal break. The pitch is reffered to as a Vertical Slider since it has more downward break than sideways break and is more similar to a Slurve instead of a conventional Slider (which tends to have more Horizontal/sideways break). Since Furuya's Slider comes really fast and has big sweeping break, it is difficult for both catchers to catch this pitch as well as Furuya to control this pitch properly. Weaknesses Stamina One of Furuya's core weaknesses as a player is his lack of stamina. As a consequence, he could not pitch a full match in the first year of his High School and only able to do so since Spring Senbatsu. This may mostly be due to the fact that Furuya comes from Hokkaido, which has significantly cooler weather than the rest of Japan all year round. As a result, unused to the hot and humid summers of Tokyo, he is prone to heat exhaustion and often gets tired to the point of being unable to stand without support. Infield It is possible that Furuya's heavy balls are difficult for players other than Miyuki to catch, making his infield defense abilities somewhat handicapped. He also has difficulty catching the ball at short ranges or when he is in a rush. His teammates once commented that while covering a base, he was too focused on stepping on base rather than catching the ball, resulting in many fumbles. Inability to Hold Back As a result of his low stamina, his inability to hold back his pitches produces another weakness which causes him to fatigue quickly. By being unable to hold back and pace himself throughout a game he stands a chance of being subbed out early and is therefore prone to making more mistakes while trying to recover. This becomes worse when he receives the ace number, as it provides yet another source of pressure as he becomes more conscious about the higher level of expectation from his position. Control The remaining core weakness of Furuya as a pitcher. As a primary fastball specialist, Furuya game focuses mostly on the velocity aspect of his pitching. However, due to his inability to hold back and his desire to pitch harder, Furuya would often strain his shoulder too hard, making it difficult for him to properly command his pitches, causing him to have a series of consecutive missing of zone by a very wide margin. This results in considerably high pitch count and may also be one of the causes of Furuya's stamina weakness. Furuya's pitch command can fluctuates drastically during and between Tournaments or even within a game such as the game against Teito where Furuya performed well in the early game but lost focus after coming back from a rain delay and suddenly struggling to control his pitches.Act I Chapter 247 Similarly, Furuya performed exceptionally well during Senbatsu, but during the Spring Tournament, the control issue has resurfaced. Furuya's command on his breaking pitches in particular is considerably poor perhaps due to the fact that he doesn't use those very often in games. For instance, within the match against Ichidaisan in the Spring Tournament, Furuya had to pitch more breaking pitches than usual following Miyuki's calling but the pitcher struggles to locate his breaking pitches inside the strike zone, resulting in many walks throughout the game. It can also take Furuya a while to find his groove within a game as his pitching speed and control may not be up to par in the early part whenever he starts a game as he has been consistently prone to walking batters on bases or losing runs in the early innings. Pitcher's data } |} Player Statistics Trivia *Furuya likes fishing, naps, and reading (mostly illustrated books about animals). *He is a bit envious of Sawamura who is optimistic and can easily talk to anyone. *He moved to Tokyo, seeking trustworthy teammates and a place to belong. *During the first Spring Tournament featured in the manga, he wore jersey No. 18. During the following Summer Koshien, he wore jersey No. 11. *The greatest number of innings Furuya has pitched during a game: **Act I - 8 innings.Act I Chapter 286 **Act II - 8 innings. Act II Chapter 9 *His initial motivation for baseball came from his grandfather. *Furuya's fastball is frequently depicted as a "rising" fastball.Act I Chapter 12 * He moved to Hokkaido in 3rd grade. *'Rankings' from the guidebook: **''Defense'': Ranks second in Shoulder Strength (behind Isashiki Jun). **''Pitching'': The speed of his pitches ranks first. *Favorite food : Kanitama (crab omelette) *Favorite subject : Geography, Biology *He has respect for polar bears. According to the mangaka, it is because they seem resistant to loneliness.Terajima's Twitter - 2014 May 29 *His fastballs can travel more than 120 meters in distance. Act I Chapter 9 *He is scared of injections, from evidence in episode 19 in the secod season when he is told he will have to go to the doctor. *Name Etymology **Furuya (降谷) - Descending Valley **Satoru (暁) - Daybreak Quotes *"A single man can't lead the team to victory."Act I Chapter *"I won't hand the mound over to anyone anymore. I'll become the ace of this team."Act I Chapter 194 *"There's no need for two pitchers on the mound. I know it must be frustrating but ..." - to Sawamura Act I Chapter 217 *"Even though I was given this jersey number, I am still not trusted as the ace. want to achieve the level of pitching that doesn't let anybody complain about either the results or the substance, pitching that is acknowledged by everyone."Act I Chapter 222 *"I believe I was able to grow because I came here and that there is still a lot of room for me to grow. Here at Koshien, I'll be pitching so that we can continue to fight for even just one match longer, so I'll be in your care tomorrow as well." Act II Chapter 4 ---- *"Shine even brighter. Surprise me even more. Let's go see what lies ahead together." - Miyuki Act I Chapter 408Anime S2 Episode 50 Gallery furuya.ace.png|"I'll become the ace of this team." furuya.sawamura.png|Furuya one step ahead of Sawamura. Screenshot_۲۰۱۵-۱۲-۲۲-۰۰-۰۶-۰۷-1.png|Tired Furuya FS 9.jpg|His first appearance. shine.even.brighter.png go.close.it.png References Navigation fr:Satoru Furuya Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Seidou High School Category:1st Year High School Category:Pitcher Category:Players